The Irish capped an up-and-down season that included handful of strong individual performances with a successful showing in their inaugural ACC championship.
Notre Dame struggled with consistency, especially during the fall, when it earned just two top-10 finishes in five tournaments. The team’s best performance during the season was third place at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., in September.
In that tournament, junior Ashley Armstrong closed with a final-round score of 69 to put her at a total of four-over, which put her in a tie for second in the individual competition. Armstrong’s success in the tournament was aided by the support of her teammates, one of the defining characteristics of this year’s team, Irish coach Susan Holt said.
“We really haven’t had that one player this year that has really stood out,” Holt said. “It really has brought [the team members] a lot closer, and they have made a strong support system among themselves.”
The depth on the Irish was key during the season, Holt said. When it came to scoring averages, the team had four players within a stroke of each other — Armstrong, senior Kristina Nhim, freshman Jordan Ferreira and sophomore Talia Campbell.
“It’s been good from a standpoint that they all realize that they have to contribute,” Holt said. “[They realize] that they’re critical pieces to the puzzle for us to play well. There’s a lot of mutual respect that I think has been great to watch develop the whole season.”
Notre Dame had its most complete performance of the year in March, when it took second at the Clover Cup, an event the team hosted during spring break. Nhim won the individual competition tournament, held in Mesa, Ariz., for her first collegiate victory. Her final score was a three-under-par 213 (68-72-73).
“[Nhim] has had a nice career here and that was really nice for her to pick up a victory in her senior year,” Holt said. “For the five players we have [entering next season], three of them have won collegiate events. Not many teams can say that. We have a lot of depth and a really good chance of showing that [moving forward].”
The Irish, however, struggled in their next two tournaments, the LSU Golf Classic and the Rebel Intercollegiate, where they finished 11th and tied for 13th, respectively. They began postseason play with a tie for 5th at their first ACC championship, beating three top-25 teams and tying another.
The Irish closed their season with an 18th-place finish at the NCAA Regionals on May 10 at the Tumble Creek Club at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Wash.
